Fluid-operated tool



July 26, 1927. v 1,637,001

A. H. KATTERJOHN FLUID OPERATED TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3, 1925 after-acq July 26, 1927.

A. H. KATTERJOHN FLUID OPERATED TOOL Fiied Nov.

s, 1925 2 sheets-sheet g Jy f5 Z9 32 J0 Patented .uly 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES DELAWARE.

1,637,001 .PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST H. KATTERGHN, OF DENVER, COLORADO,ASSIGNO-R TO THE DENVER ROCK DRILL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF DENVER, COLORADO,-A CORPORATION OF FLUID-OPERATED 1'100121.

Thev present invention relates specifically to tools of the type having a long stroke piston hammer of small diameter, though not necessarily limited thereto.

rhe object is to provide a novel structure of an ehicient character for distributing the motive duid to the piston hammer;

1n the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment of the invention, showing the hammer at the delivery end of its power stroke.

Figure 2 is a similar view with the haininer at the rear end of its return stroke.

Figures 3 and L1 are detailsectional views on an enlarged scale of the valve mechanism in the positions shown respectively in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a detail view of the exterior of. a portion of the rear end of the valve.

ln the embodiment disclosed a cylinder member 5 is employed, having a piston chamber G, in which a reciprocatory cylindrical piston 7 is located. This piston 7, in the present embodiment, delivers blows against a tappet 8 that transmits said blows to a suitable tool, a portion of which is shown at i 9. rEhe rear end of the cylinder member has an enlarged bore 10, in which is fit-ted a valve chest 11. Interposed between the front end of. this valve chestcll and the front end wall of the enlarged bore 10is a washer or front head 12. A rear head 13 is located atthe rear end of thechest, and is held in place by the usual rear head 14thav- .ing a handle, a portion of which is shown at 15. Motive fluid is supplied from any suitable source, through a coupling 16,- the bore of which has communication through a passageway 1T with a chamber 18, formed in the head 14 behind the valve chest headl.

The valve chest 11 contains'a valve cha-1nber, around which is a front internalannu-- lar groove 19. Behind thisgroove is an an nular exhaust groove 20, and in rear of said exhaust groove are two other annulargrooves 21 and 22. The diameter of the valve chamber is slightlygreater than the diameter of the pist-on chamber 6 andv in said valve chamber is located an automaticl reciprocatory tubular distributing valve 23. Theinternal diameter of this valve is the saine as .that ofthe piston chamber 6 and the rear end of thepiston hammer 7 is adapted to run into and outiot thevalve 23,.

vpiston "Harige 24.

as will Vbe cl-ear and 1.

The valve 23 by reference to Figures 2 is provided with an outstanding annular flange v24 that operates in n Vinletend of ay passageway 26 that opens through the washer or head 12 into the groove 19in advance of the .piston flange 211. lhe valve 23 is also provided with one or more transverse ports 27 that open there through into the groove 19 in advance of the This groove 19 furthermore has an exhaust port 28 opening theretromto atmosphere but the port 28 is of less area or capacity than the combined areas of' the passageway 26 and ports 27. A relief port 29 communicates with the rear end-of the groove 19 behind the piston flange 24.

Supply ports 30, opening through the rear valve chamber head 13 from the chamber 18 have communication withthe rearinost annular groove 227.01l the valvevchest. From the intermediate annular groove 21 a passageway 81 leadsto the front end of the piston chamber 6 in advance of the piston hammer i. The intermediate groove 2O of the valve.

chest has a-nexhaust `port 32 opening to atmosphere, andthe valve has ports 33 that that is supplementalv tothe exhaust port 25. rlie rear portion of the valve 23 has an eX- ternal groove Sil, and two milled. notches 34a,

th-enotches andgrooves affording rcommunication betweenA the grooves 21and 22 when the valve is in its rearmost position,-and the, groove Sll'aflording communication between Y grooves 21 and=20- whenthe valve is in its foremostpositioir The purpose of the two Liz notches and narrow annular groove on the' i outside ofthe valveis to restrict the amount ofkair going to the front end of the cylinder vand also to provide bearing Vfor the rear .endv

off the .valve to slide in.

The opera-tion of `the-apparatusr is sub-f stantially as follows :Assuming the parts inV the position-shown in Figures 1 and 3 with iloy the piston hammer at the end of its forward or blow delivering stroke and the Vvalve in its rearmost position, it will be noted that motive fluid from the chamber 18 will pass through the ports 30, channels 22, 34 and 2l to the passageway 3l, and thus find its way to the front end of the piston chamber 6, where it will operate against the front end of the piston, causing the latter to move rearwardly. The motive fluid in rear of the-piston will exhaust'freely through the exhaust port 25 until said port is closed, and thereafter can pass through the passageway 26 and ports 27, escaping through the ports 28,while additional. exhaust fluid will find anoutlet through the ports 33, groove 20 and exhaust port 32. After the piston has covered port 2G, any pressure in the piston chamber' 6, acting against the faces 36 and 3T of valve, would tend to trip the valve before the piston had completed its rearward stroke, were it not for the ports 27 allowing the pressure to also come against the Vfront face of flange 24 and overcoming the pressure against the rear face 37 of the valve. Thus, ports 27 are holding7 holes to lreep the valve in the rear position until the proper time for trippingI the valve. Ports 83 are additional exhaust ports to allow the piston to performits full stroke. As the piston approaches the rear end of its stroke, however, the ports 27 and 33 as well as the passageway 26 will be closed. Consequently the pressure will be built up behind the piston hammer until its force is sufficient, acting against the rear endV of the valve to move said valve forwardly or to the position shown in Figures 2 and l. Motive fluid will now be cut olf from the passageway 3l, but can pass freely around the rear end of the valve and operate against the rear end of the piston, driving `it forwardly. As the piston moves forwarchports 27 and 33 will be closed because of the position of the valve in relation to grooves 19 and 2O.` As soon` as the piston has uncovered groove 35, pressure is exerted against the front face 36 oi. valve equal to thepressure exerted against the rear face. The area of the front face 36, is slightly smaller than the area of the rear face 37, so that the valve willstill remain in the forward position; the pressure against the trout end merelytending to almost balance the valve so that a very slight pressure against the front face of the flange 2st in the groove 19 will be required to trip the valve to its rear position. The forward position of the valve will be maintained until the piston has uncovered the passageway 26, whereupon live fluid will enter through said port and passageways into the groove 19 in trent of the piston flange 24 and the area of said flange, together with the pressure already exerted against front face of valve, will be sufficient to move the valve rearwardly, the

amount of escaping fluid through the port 28 being insufficient to prevent sufficient pressure for the purpose. The valve will thus be shifted so that the ports will again be in the position illustrated in Figure l, and a successive return movement of the piston .7 obtained.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of' the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrilicing any of the advantages of the invention.

vWhat I claim is:

l. In a fluid operated tool, the combination with a cylinder member and a reciprocatory piston hammer therein, of a shiftable automatic distributing valve at the rear end of the cylinder member and of tubular form to receive the rear end of the piston hammer, said valve having vexternal fluid-actuated means by which said valve is moved and a port therethrough for supplying fluid to said means to temporarily hold the valve in a predetermined position, said valve being movable to and from said predetermined position, said port being covered and uncovered by the rear end of the piston hammer when it moves into and out of the valve, and means in addition to said port and controlled by the piston for supplying fluid to said external means to eiiiect a movement of the valve.

2. In a fluid operated tool, the combination with a cylinder member and a reciprocatory piston hammer therein, of a shiftable automatic distributing valve at the rear end of 'the cylinder member, and of tubular fornito receive the rear end. of the. piston hammer, said valve having an external flange, and a port therethrough for supplying fluid to one face ot` the flange to hold the valve in a predetermined position, means for closing the port when the valve isv moved from said position, said port being covered and uncovered by the rear end of the piston hammer when it moves into and out of the valve, and means controlled by the piston for supplying fluid to the iange to operate the valve when the port is closed.

3. ln a fluid operated tool, the combination with a cylinder member and a reciprocatory piston hammer therein, of a valve chest having a valve chamber and an annular groove surrounding' it, and a reciprocatory automatic tubular distributing valve located in the chamber and having a flange located and reciprocating Vin the groove, said cylinder member having a passageway opening into the groove on one side of the flange and said valve having a port opening into theV groove on the same side of the ange as the passageway, and said piston hammer having its rear end successively movable across and closing and opening the passageway and port.

l. In a fluid operated tool, the combination with a cylinder member and a reciprocatory pist-on hammer therein, of a valve chest having a valve chamber and an annular groove surrounding it, and a reoiprocatory automatic tubular distributing valve located in the chamber and having a flange located and reciprocating in the groove, said cylin der member having a passageway opening into the groove on one side of the flange and said valve having a port opening into the groove on the same side of the flange as the passageway, and said piston hammer having its rear end successively movable across and closing and opening the passageway and port', said groove also having an exhaust port opening there-from on the same side of the ange as the passageway and port and hav ing a cross sectional area less than that of the passageway and port.

5. In a fluid operated tool, the combination with a cylinder member having a piston chamber and a reciprocatory piston hammer in the piston chamber, of a valve chest at the rear end of the cylinder member having a valve chamber and an annular groove around the same, a tubular automatic distributing valve in the valve chamber having an external flange operating in the groove, a passageway having an inlet end opening into the piston chamber and covered and uncovered by the piston hammer, said passageway opening into the front Iend of the groove in advance of the flange, Said valve having a port opening from its interior into the groove in advance of the flange and said piston hammer moving into and out of the valve and covering and uncovering the port, means controlled by the rear end of the valve for admitting motive fluid past said rear end and into the valve against the rear end of the piston, and means controlled by said valve for directing motive fluid to Jthe front end of the piston chamber in advance of the piston.

6. ln a fluid operated tool, the combina tion with a cylinder member having a piston chamber and a reciprocatory piston hammer in the piston chamber, of a valve chest at the rear end of the cylinder member having a valve chamber and an annular groove around the same, a tubular automatic distributing valve in the valve chamber having an eXternal flange operating' in the groove, said piston chamber having an .exhaust port between its ends traversed by the piston hammer, a passageway having an inlet end opening into the piston chamber in rear of the exhaust port, and covered and uncovered by the hammer, said passageway opening into the front end of the groove in advance of the flange, said valve having a port opening from its interior into the groove in advance of the flange and said piston hammer moving into and out of the valve and covering and uncovering the port, said valve chest having an exhaust port opening from the groove in advance of the flange and of less area than the passageway and valve port, means controlled by the rear end of the valve for admitting motive fluid past the said rear end and into the valve against the rear end of the piston, and means controlled by said valve for directing motive fluid to the front end of the pis ton chamber in advance of the piston.

In testimony whereof, I afHX my signature.

AUGUST H. KATTERJOHN. 

